Ford F150 MI Owners: Ford Gets Some Pressure from NHTSA to Recall Another 1.2 Million F150 Trucks

April 15, 2011 - PRLog -- DETROIT, M.I. – Ford F150 MI owners should be aware that Ford has increased its initial recall from February to include over a million more Ford trucks.
In November of last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked Ford to recall 1.3 million vehicles. Ford Motor Corp. has said, in a statement filed with the NHTSA, there was no cause for a recall of that size as “the condition does not present an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.”
[Rewind: Ford F150 MI Owners Worry Driver Side Airbags May Deploy Without Warning; Recall Announced]
Following that statement, Ford only recalled 135,000 F150 trucks from 2005-2006. But, as announced yesterday, the NHTSA disagreed that the problem was only minor and has now pressured Ford to recall the remaining 1.2 million vehicles, which includes Lincoln Mark LT pickups, which the safety organization believed should have been recalled to begin with.
Amount of recalled Ford F150 MI vehicles:
•   135,000 already recalled Ford F150, 2005-2006
•   1.2 million extended recalls for Ford F150, 2004-2006
•   16,000 Lincoln Mark LT pickups in the U.S.
•   136,000 Lincoln Mark LT pickups in the Canada and Mexico
Total count comes to 13,000 vehicles shy of 1.5 million vehicles recalled in total.
The problem lies with the airbag wires that can be chafed by a sharp metal edge of the horn plate during normal driving conditions or by the vibrations from the road. If the wire is cut, a short can cause the airbags to deploy without warning. Injuries had totaled 77 in February but have since increased to 98 injuries, which have included chipped teeth, fractured arms and burns.
Once the number of injuries and incidents increased after the much smaller recall by Ford, the NHTSA warned the agency could convene a formal public hearing to compel a recall if Ford didn’t cooperate. In the end, Ford gave in and chose to recall all of the vehicles saying it will expand the recall “to reassure customers of Ford's commitment to safety and to eliminate any possible customer confusion.”
One of the biggest indications of a defect is the air bag light being on for extended periods of time. Although Ford will begin to notify owners by May, any Ford F150 MI vehicle owner with an air bag light on should visit their MI Ford dealers or a dealership in their local area to have their wires and airbag unit checked for possible issues.
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[Source(s): The Detroit News]